Each premises will be visited by mystery judges who will critique them on food, drinks, overall atmosphere and customer service.

The winners will be announced at a ceremony at The Roundhouseon Monday, October 9.

We asked each business to explain a little bit about themselves. Here’s their responses:

The Palfrey, in Old Blacksmith's Yard, off Sadler Gate, Derby

The Palfrey bar and restaurant in Old Blacksmith's Yard, Derby (Image: Amy Guard)

Here at The Palfrey we thrive on creating an eclectic and quirky environment for our customers. Being located in the Old Blacksmith's yard off Sadler Gate provides a unique city centre location with additional character. We designed the venue based on our own influences, experiences and inspiration from the bar and restaurant scene in Manchester. Ultimately, our aim is to provide our customers with a high-quality experience within a modern and relaxed setting.

We have received a fantastic response so far and feel we are contributing a new and exciting offering to the fast-growing Derby food and drink scene, culminating in the recognition of being named a finalist, which is made more special considering we have been open for less than a year.

We are very happy to have been nominated for Best Bar in Derby. Suds and Soda was started by two local postmen who wanted a specialist beer shop and tasting room in the centre of Derby. We have a changing range of eight craft keg lines and more than 200 bottled and canned beer from local, national and international brewers.

We opened in October 2016 and since then have put on various events, including tap takeovers, meet the brewer nights, bottle shares and even our own beer festival, the Derby Beer Con. We feel we have added something unique to Derby's nightlife, offering a huge variety of beer styles and flavours. We are fiercely independent and have supported independent breweries, showcasing over 2,000 beers since opening. Being a local business on Friar Gate has allowed us to get involved with other nearby independent businesses, creating a sense of community.

Before we could open our doors we worked through a number of challenges, from which we have learnt many things. Suds and Soda is our first business venture and we have been grateful for all the support from our customers from the very start. Without them, we honestly wouldn't be where we are today. Many of the people we consider friends now we would have never met without Suds and Soda. We thank them for nominating us for best bar in the Derby Food and Drink Awards.

The Orange Tree, in George Street, Derby

The Orange Tree in George Street, Derby (Image: Google Maps)

Thank you to all of those who have voted for us. We are very pleased to have reached the finals in not one, but two categories - we are also a finalist in the Best Customer Service category. We haven’t been in Derby for long but our group has been around since 1997.

Our ethos is to provide the best service matched with quality drinks. From your nominations, it is obvious this is what we deliver. But we don’t rest on our laurels and always strive to do better. We recently launched a new cocktail menu with a focus on good quality cocktails, honestly priced.

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We also have a strong selection of gins where we focus on quality, not quantity. If you like a party, we have spaces for that but don’t dither; dates sell out fast. Our team is like a family and we are all pleased how far we have gone since last September. We can’t wait for the Derby Food and Drink Awards 2017 ceremony on October 9 but the competition is fierce.

Marketing Derby, a group set up to attract investment and create employment opportunities in the city, is running the awards and the Derby Telegraph is supporting it.